Looking For A More Commercial Focus To Your UAS Advocacy Effort?

There is a lot at stake, much is riding on the regulation that is forthcoming. We have limited time left on the clock to shape our economic future and the unmanned technologies operating environment.

We have given the existing advocacy program six years, and unfortunately we have very little to show. That is not to be construed as an opinion, but is an undeniable fact. We need leadership that understands the issues and applications first hand. That leadership needs to come from the people who have run businesses and spent time in the field developing and refining the commercial applications. We need to bring the experience of operating in the NAS to the forefront. Not a subsidized business environment, but a free market model that lives by supply and demand. We have sat on the sidelines for too long watching the rest of the world realize the benefits that these technologies can bring.

Advocacy should mean active support, something in the next couple of quarters, not years. If you concur with that notion, I encourage you to support this grassroots effort to make a fresh start with the new Executive Vice President of the AUVSI. I have ten years of empirical experience to offer in running a business, operating, fielding and advocating the business use of this technology. I’m looking to change the association from within, imagine an association that is more inclusive, results oriented and run like a business.

This is important?

Please email or call the leadership at your earliest convenience and express your desire for a new business-oriented focus and timeline.

Personally, I have been closely following the sUAS community since late 2010 and didn’t jump in fully until 2011. Early on I found RCAPA (rcapa.net) and quickly realized there were no commercial rules in place and the FAA was trying to shut every avenue down. Patrick was one of the first, and most vocal in support of small business use of sUAS, with sensible rules, who I came across. His postings and podcasts at suasnews.com have always been spot on. I have never had the pleasure of meeting or even talking with Patrick; but since my start in 2010 and everything I have followed up until today, he would be the one person I would elect to head up a small business authority to push the FAA. If he was made the AUVSI Executive VP, I would join that organization immediately and encourage everyone I know with an interest in sUAS for commercial use to join as well. There is a lot of momentum building on the commercial side. If you’ve been to any UAS conference recently, then you have witnessed it firsthand. We need to get some sensible rules out for sUAS immediately as we needed them years ago. This could be a big step in the right direction, for once. I will contact the individuals listed above and voice my support for Patrick. I urge anyone reading this, who has an interest in commercial sUAS, to do the same.

I think drone manufactures need to step up and smell the coffee. I think the manufactures need to realize that this is getting out of hand and that they need to form coalitions to support the people that want to see things get done right.

In the rocket industry it was the manufactures that decided they needed certifications and self governing and it had to start with them. They knew it right off the bat and they became proactive in the development of the TRA and the NAR.

To not do so is IMO irresponsible. Mainly because the appeal of these hobby drones are to a crowd that really have no idea about NAS or regulations and they really don't care to be regulated. But this is a very immature idea to believe they wont be regulated and that drones will take over anyway because they wont. That's just not realistic at all.

The drone industry may indeed destroy it's self with hype and sensationalism before it ever get's a strong enough foothold on the realities of regulation that WILL be required regardless of the wish not to be.

To think they will go on unregulated is misfortunate indeed and it has held up the establishment of the needed entity that could have already established the needed guidelines and regulations.

I believe the blame lies with the manufactures for being uninformed themselves and unaware of the real impact of their products and for failing to have the maturity and forsite needed to accomplish this in the proper way.

But if men like these are willing at this late date to get done what should have already been done you certianly should back them with everything you have and you should do it RIGHT NOW.

And one more comment about the FAA. I hear people dogging the FAA. The FAA has been waiting for you to make an effort to self regulate. I'm sure they are just as astonished that the drone industry has no real view about regulating and they are getting a bit pissed I'm sure with the immaturity being displayed.

You have had plenty of time to see the real need for regulation one way or another. You will get it the one way if not the other. I would prefer to cooperate with the FAA before it's too late.

The FAA is not made up of stupid people. It's the drone community that is acting irresponsible and immature as it surely is immature. But I hope guy's like these keep on trying. You should be backing them, we all should.

I started out somewhat sympathetic to the plight of the FAA, they were handed a huge task and not really given any additional resources to accomplish it.

But after watching what they have done since, ham-fisted and with no regard to what they were even ordered in law to do and not to do by the Congress and basically reinterpreting it into the opposite of what they were told by the most hypocritical reinvention of the English language ever, I have lost all respect for them in this regard.

They have their own agenda and it does not include actually optimizing UAS use in the United States in any thing like a balanced, fair or adequate manner.

It was they themselves that declared us to be the enemy, and that is simply, at this point the way it is.

They are not our friends and are not trying to help us, they are trying to smash us into the ground, hobby and commercial.

As such I will proudly continue to dog - bash and blast the FAA wherever possible regarding UAS, at least until and if they do something reasonable which I will also comment on - hasn't happened yet though.

I find it interesting the FAA is getting the blame. It's not their fault they are understaffed and under funded. The government knows they can't possibly handle the problem no mater what the president mandates.

The real problem lies higher up.

What you see from the FAA is just knee jerk reactions to commands they get from on high. Because that's all they have the staff for.